Ultimate X-Men
Cover art for Ultimate X-Men #65, byStuart Immonen.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Publication date	February 2001 – February 2009 (original) March 2024 – present(relaunch)
No. of issues	101
Main character(s)	List Angel Beast Colossus Cyclops Dazzler Iceman Jean Grey Nightcrawler Professor X Betsy Braddock Rogue Kitty Pryde Storm Wolverine
Creative team
Created by	List Bill Jemas Joe Quesada Mark Millar Adam Kubert Andy Kubert (based upon the original characters byStan Lee,Chris Claremont andJack Kirby)
Written by	List Mark Millar (#1–12, 15–33,Ultimate War #1–4) Chuck Austen (#13–14) Geoff Johns (#1/2) Brian Michael Bendis (#34–45) Brian K. Vaughan (#46–65, Annual #1) Mike Carey (Ultimate X4 #1–2) Robert Kirkman (#66–93, Annual #2) Aron Eli Coleite (#94–100,X-Men/FF Annual #1–2,Ultimate Requiem)
Penciller(s)	List Adam Kubert (#1–4, 7–8, 10–12, 15–17, 20–22, 25, 29, 31–33) Andy Kubert (#5–6, 50–53) Tom Raney (#9, 66–68, 72–74, Annual #1) Tom Derenick (#12) Esad Ribić (#13–14) Aaron Lopresti (#1/2) Chris Bachalo (#18–19,Ultimate War #1–4) Kaare Andrews (#23–24) Ben and Ray Lai (#26) David Finch (#27–28, 30, 34–45) Brandon Peterson (#46–49,X-Men/FF Annual #2) Stuart Immonen (#54–57, 59–65) Steve Dillon (#58) Pasqual Ferry (Ultimate X4 #1–2) Leinil Francis Yu (Ultimate X4 #2) Ben Oliver (#69–71, 75–76, 78, 81,Ultimate Requiem) Salvador Larroca (Annual #2, 88–92) Yanick Paquette (#77, 79–80, 84–88) Pascal Alixe (#82–83) Harvey Tolibao (#93) Mark Brooks (#94–100,X-Men/FF Annual #1)

Ultimate X-Men is asuperherocomic book series, which was published byMarvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-runningX-Men comic book franchise as part of theUltimate Marvel imprint.^[1] The Ultimate X-Men exist alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles includingUltimate Spider-Man,Ultimate Fantastic Four andThe Ultimates.

The protagonists are the X-Men, a group of teen-agedmutants: a subspecies of the human race, who possess latent super-human abilities from birth, due to the presence of the mysterious "X-Gene" within their genetic codes. It sets them apart from the rest of humanity and despite being feared and distrusted by the general public and authorities, they use their super-powers to prevent and stop unnatural threats to both the human and mutant race, while being mentored byProfessor Charles Xavier, the X-Men's founder and a world-renowned expert on genetics and the world's most powerfultelepath. The series features many characters and storylines similar to those of the original X-Men series.Ultimate X-Men almost completely ignores supernatural or mystical elements as plot devices, and the X-Men have no secret identities, and mutants are distrusted and hunted down.

The series began in 2001 under writerMark Millar and artistsAdam Kubert andAndy Kubert, while the final issues of the series were written by Aron Coleite and penciled byMark Brooks.Ultimate X-Men was met with considerable commercial success, even outselling most of the other X-Men comic titles and received a generally positive response from critics and readers, who praised the art-work by various artists, the writing runs of Millar, Bendis, Vaughan, Kirkman and Coleite, the character development and progression of the titular superheroes throughout the series and the unique and interesting twists on conventional X-Men themes and concepts, along with the fresh and distinctively modernized re-imagining of the classic X-Men mythos, while the uneven quality of the writing, the somewhat edgy and unnecessarily adult-oriented tone and direction of the comics and some of the changes and deviations from the original X-Men comics were singled out for criticism.

A quasi-sequel/spinoff titledUltimate Comics: X began in February 2010, but only lasted for 5 issues. The series focused on Wolverine's secret son Jimmy Hudson, Jean Grey, and several other mutants dealing with the aftermath ofUltimatum.

Ultimate X-Men was later relaunched byNick Spencer and Paco Medina, with the title now calledUltimate Comics: X-Men.

Upon its debut in February 2001,Ultimate X-Men was the second comic of theUltimate Marvel line, preceded a few months by its sister titleUltimate Spider-Man. The heads of the Ultimate Universe line,Bill Jemas andJoe Quesada, originally tried to hireBrian Michael Bendis to write the title, but he declined.^[2] Marvel hired Scottish writerMark Millar, who was best known at the time for his run onThe Authority and was largely ignorant of the X-Men franchise. With the 2000X-Men film as his only reference, Millar reinvented the X-Men.^[3] As a result, Millar's original X-Men consisted of telepath Professor X, Cyclops, whose eyes shoot concussive beams, telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey, weather-manipulating Storm, simian genius Beast, metal-skinned Colossus, and cryokinetic Iceman. Millar's roster soon expanded to include teleporting Nightcrawler, intangible Kitty Pryde and power absorbing Rogue.

Common to the Millar period was an edgy tone, featuring quick action-driven plots and less moral X-Men. For instance, Wolverine tries to kill Cyclops in "Return of the King" because he is envious of Jean's love. In an interview withSequential Tart, Millar commented, "You're not competing withCartoon Network on these books; you're competing with 'Buffy'...Superhero comics aren't adult, but they shouldn't be written for five-year-olds either."^[3] Millar shapedUltimate X-Men into a commercial hit, consistently outselling its sister titles,X-Treme X-Men andUncanny X-Men.^[4]

After Mark Millar's run,Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis took over for a year. Bendis stated that his run on the book would be more character-driven, especially concerning Wolverine, who had previously tried to kill his teammate Cyclops.^[5] Bendis' run was marked by the introductions of Angel and Dazzler to the team, relative absence of major villains and was also notorious for killing Beast, who was killed when a Sentinel attacked the White House. This made Beast the first dead Ultimate X-Man. As a side note,Ultimate X-Men #40 features what Marvel claims to be the first marriage proposal in a comic book letters column, which is answered inUltimate X-Men #44 with a positive response.

The thirdUltimate X-Men writer wasBrian K. Vaughan, best known at the time for his work onY: The Last Man, and, subsequently,Saga. His run was marked by the relative absence of Wolverine as the main character and the re-imagining of second-stringX-Men characters. He introducedMr. Sinister as a mutant-killing scientist with hypnosis and stealth powers in "The Tempest" (#46–49), German twinsFenris as mutant corporate criminals in "Cry Wolf" (#50–53), as well asMojo andLongshot as a corrupt TV producer and a mutant felon, respectively in "The Most Dangerous Game" (#54–57). Both are of non-alien origin in this world and have the civilian names "Arthur Centino" and "Mojo Adams", a play on the names of their creators, writerAnn Nocenti and artistArt Adams. Further arcs were centered on Professor X (#58) andDeathstrike in "Shock and Awe" (#59–60). Lady Deathstrike possesses adamantium claws and regenerative powers. Vaughan also reintroduced Magneto,^[6] and established Ultimate Colossus to be homosexual.^[6]

On working within the Ultimate Universe, Vaughan wrote: "In my mind, the X-Men shouldn't be teachers or celebrities or even traditional superheroes. They're students, confused, sometimes reckless teenagers who are feared and hated because their bodies are undergoing frightening changes... The Ultimate Universe restores that small but crucial element."^[7]

Vaughan's run was followed byRobert Kirkman, author ofThe Walking Dead andInvincible comic books. Kirkman's run was noted for adapting several major storyarcs from the regular X-Men series. These included Jean Grey's transformation into Phoenix, the arrival of Cable and Bishop, and the appearance of Apocalypse. Kirkman reintroduced Wolverine as an important character, and played with issues of team loyalty. Under his authorship, major characters such as Nightcrawler and Colossus left the team. His tenure also featured Cyclops' decision to turn Xavier's into a more traditional school and consequently disband the X-Men. When this was done an alternate team of X-Men was formed by Bishop as part of the upcoming fight against Apocalypse. After theUltimatum storyline, nearly all of the X-Men were killed, and the team disbanded.

After the events inUltimatum the book, along withUltimate Fantastic Four, was canceled after its 100th issue.^[8] A follow-up one-shot, calledRequiem, was released and concluded the series' story. A new series,Ultimate Comics: X, debuted in early 2010 and featured Kitty Pryde, Wolverine's son, Jimmy Hudson and Jean Grey.

Ultimate X-Men was then relaunched asUltimate Comics: X-Men with writerNick Spencer and artistPaco Medina. The series stars Jimmy Hudson, Kitty Pryde, Johnny Storm, Bobby Drake and Rogue.^[9][10]

In October 2023 atNew York Comic Con Marvel revealed that, following the conclusion ofUltimate Invasion and the creation of a brand newUltimate Universe, a new volume ofUltimate X-Men would launch in March 2024 written and illustrated byPeach Momoko.^[11]

Ultimate X-Men quickly established itself as a hit comic, lauded by critics and popular with the fans. The following table shows the development of comic sales in comparison to the mainstream titles.^[12]

• Professor Charles Xavier,telepath andtelekinetic, is the founder and patron of the X-Men. He is an idealist and a pacifist, but less saintly than his mainstream counterpart. The Professor possesses vast knowledge and acquires advanced surgical skills he gleans from reading surgeons' minds (The Tomorrow People). He is the ex-husband ofDr. Moira MacTaggert with whom he worked to help mutants, devising new therapies and surgical techniques for their unique patients, and had ason namedDavid. He suffered a spinal injury at the hands of his old friend,Magneto during an escape from his increasingly militaristic island society, theSavage Land, an injury that left him aparaplegic and ultimately a wheelchair user. He has a business relationship with the mysteriousLilandra, the majestrix of the paganShi'ar cult. AfterJean Grey is kidnapped by the time-travelingCable, Professor Xavier reveals to Cyclops that he is in love with her. Professor X is seemingly killed when he dives to protect Cyclops from a bomb that Cable detonates. It is subsequently revealed that he did not die, but was transported to Cable's future. He is however murdered by Magneto during theUltimatum miniseries.
• Angel, Warren Worthington III, is a handsome, shy, and winged mutant. He is Dazzler's boyfriend before she is put into a coma. He has been "expelled" from the X-Men; in reality, he is spying for Xavier. Without Bishop's consent, Dazzler has recruited him to be a part of the new X-Men. Angel is later killed by Sinister as part of Apocalypse's resurrection, but is restored to life by the Phoenix. He is later killed again by Sabretooth during theUltimatum storyline.
• Beast, simian mutant and genius Henry "Hank" McCoy, is turned into a blue, furry beast by the insidiousWeapon X project. He serves as the team's eliteengineer, upgrading theBlackbird andDanger Room sequences. When chatting online to the Blob (pretending to be an interested girl), he accidentally reveals Magneto survived Xavier's earlier attack. He has a troubled romance with Storm, until he is killed in a Sentinel attack. It is revealed that Hank has been alive all this time, secretly working for S.H.I.E.L.D. on theLegacy Virus, until he escapes to return to the X-Men and Storm. Beast eventually dies in theUltimatum wave.
• Colossus, Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, can turn into organic steel and reluctantly works as an arms smuggler before joining the X-Men. Recently, Colossus has made peace with his former friend Nightcrawler. Colossus inUltimate X-Men can transmute his entire body into organic steel, a form which gives him seeming invulnerability and superhuman strength.
• Cyclops, Scott Summers, whose eyes emit concussive blasts, is the boy scout-like X-Men field leader. Initially shy and aloof, he learns to be an unrivaled leader and pursue his interests, notably the love of Jean Grey, an interest that has often puts him at odds with his teammate Wolverine. He revisits his dead parents in a dream world he calls "Corsair". After the "death" of Xavier, Cyclops disbands the X-Men to utilize the school as a safe haven and educational center for mutants. He is assassinated by Quicksilver at the end of theUltimatum event.
• Dazzler, Allison "Ali" Blaire, is a tough-as-nails rock singer withphotovoltaic powers who is heavily pierced and tattooed and wears slashed clothing. She becomes Angel's girlfriend after he takes the blame for something she does. She is stabbed and put into acoma by Storm's old mentorLady Deathstrike. During her recovery, Nightcrawler develops an obsessive crush on her, eventually culminating in him kidnapping her when she awakes. She leaves the team in disgust when Xavier tries to rehabilitate him. Bishop later recruits Dazzler as a member of his new X-Men team. She dies in theUltimatum wave.
• Iceman, Robert "Bobby" Drake, is a hot-headed youth with cold-based powers, who is in the throes of puberty but loyal to the X-Men's cause. He is very fickle, pursuing girls then losing interest and back to being interested again. He has a fear of Magneto and is often seen eating or playing video games. Recently, he rekindled his relationship with Rogue when her absorbing powers were halted after she absorbed Gambit's powers for an extended period of time.
• Marvel Girl, or Jean Grey has telepathic andtelekinetic powers. She is outgoing, witty and scathingly sarcastic, but can also be a very responsible young woman and is the unofficial second-in-command behind Cyclops. After an affair with Wolverine, she begins a steady relationship with Cyclops. The Shi'ar religion believes Jean to be the host of thePhoenix Force, their supposed god. Jean becomes the headmistress of the school, alongside Scott, after Xavier supposedly dies. When the X-Men battle Apocalypse, she merges with the Phoenix and destroys him with her god-like abilities and restarts time so this event will not happen. She leaves the team but returns promptly, to the surprise of the others.
• Nightcrawler, theBavarian mutant teleporter Kurt Wagner, is a formerWeapon X prisoner. He has a crush on Dazzler and is resentful that she chose Angel instead of him. Despite his own struggles with being rejected for being different, he is uncomfortable with Colossus' homosexuality and shuns him as a friend. He was being kept sedated after a failed attempt to kidnap Dazzler, but eventually escaped after Xavier's "death". Nightcrawler would go on to not only join the Morlocks, but become their chosen leader. He is later killed in theUltimatum wave.
• Psylocke, or Betsy Braddock is a telepath who started off as a corporal for S.T.R.I.K.E., the British division of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She worked alongside her partner, Agent Dai Thomas, but during an encounter with Xavier's reality-warping son David, her body was possessed and destroyed. Betsy transferred her mind into the body of a comatose Japanese girl named Kwannon. As this girl was a minor, Betsy was too young to serve as a government agent so she brought her formidable psychic abilities to the X-Men, reuniting with them for the first time since the destruction of her original body. Taking the codename Psylocke, she not only retained her telepathy but also learned to channel it into a psychic knife capable of cutting through any material.
• Rogue, or Marian, originally drains life-force and memories on skin contact. She is abducted into theWeapon X program under unknown circumstances. Like her mainstream counterpart, she can absorb mutant powers. When she is liberated, she first joins the Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, then defects to the X-Men, then leaves the team in the company ofGambit after her boyfriend Bobby Drake cheats on her with Kitty Pryde. After absorbing his powers, which last for an extended period of time, during a battle with Juggernaut (in which Gambit dies), she inherits his energy-charging powers. This negates her absorbing power and she becomes able to touch people without draining their abilities or memories as shown when she and her ex-boyfriend, Iceman, have sex in the "Date Night" arc. These powers have since faded, leaving her with her previous absorbing powers.
• Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde, can walk through walls. She is a young, but dedicated girl. Like her mainstream counterpart, her devotion to her Jewish faith is evidenced by her ever-presentStar of David. InUltimate Spider-Man Annual #1 she begins dating Peter Parker, better known asSpider-Man. She left the team to live with her mother in Queens, where she is now enrolled in Peter Parker's high school. Her relationship with Peter has ended, however, and she has shown an interest in dating Peter's classmateKenny "Kong" McFarlane.
• Storm, Ororo Munroe, like the phenomena from which she takes her name, has a unique mutant ability which allows her to harness and manipulate forces of nature. Calling upon the elements she can manifest violent storms, summonlightning from a benign sky, create blizzards instantly and even whip up winds to bear herself aloft. A streetwise car thief who hails fromMorocco, Ororo's sharp wit and cynicism can make her come off as arrogant, but, with that arrogance comes a near-unparalleled sense of level-headedness that allows her to temper as the voice of reason among the X-Men. Between the purported death of her boyfriend Beast, her fleeting relationships with Wolverine, and her role as second-in-command of Bishop's X-Men, Ororo's confidence has continued to grow, as has her skill with her mutant abilities.
• Wolverine, James "Logan" Howlett, has animal instincts and extreme regeneration powers. He is turned into an amnesiac, emotionless killer byWeapon X. Wolverine resurfaces as the cold-blooded elite assassin of Magneto and infiltrates the X-Men to kill Professor X. He betrays Magneto, however, and joins the X-Men after coming to understand and believe in Xavier's cause. Over the course of the series in between attacks by former members of Weapon X, Wolverine has searched for answers regarding his long-forgotten past. He is killed by Magneto near the end of theUltimatum series.

Ultimate X-Men introduced revised versions of classic X-Men villains, such as mutant supremacist, would-be world conqueror, and evil genius mastermindMagneto. He heads the anti-human and genetic terrorist groupBrotherhood of Mutant Supremacy. The series also features the amoral,Mengele-like mutant super-weapon projectWeapon X, the shadyHellfire Club and many more.

In addition, the Academy of Tomorrow is the Ultimate Marvel version of a spin-off X-Men team called theNew Mutants. In this world, the group consists of: headmistressEmma Frost, who can turn her skin into organic diamond; Cyclops' older brotherHavok (Alex Summers), who shoots concussive blasts from his hands; airborne Sam Guthrie, orCannonball; mutant genius Doug Ramsey, also known asCypher; Canadian speedster Jean-Paul Beaubier, orNorthstar; Havok's girlfriend, Lorna Dane, the magnekineticPolaris; Roberto da Costa, the Brazilian solar-poweredSunspot; and recently Angel. TheShi'ar are a religious movement, led by "MajestrixLilandra". They worship the "Phoenix God", which they think is reincarnated in the X-ManMarvel Girl (Jean Grey).

The Ultimate version ofCable is revealed to be a future version of Wolverine, who kidnaps Charles Xavier in an attempt to prevent the coming ofApocalypse.

"Syndicate" is the name of two mutants, psi-resistantconjoined twins named Luke and Matthew. They try to rob a bank to help their terminally ill sister, but are stopped by Professor X. Realizing their plight, he gives them a chance to redeem themselves by working as his private agents. Created byBrian K. Vaughan andSteve Dillon, they first appeared inUltimate X-Men #58. The characters have an unusual heart which pumps out electromagnetic pulses with each beat; this disables almost any electrical system. Their interlinked brain matter also makes them immune to telepathic control, although they are still susceptible to mind readings.

In the shared universe ofUltimate Marvel, the X-Men have more than once crossed the paths of other superheroes:Peter Parker is a good friend of the X-Men and is Shadowcat's ex-boyfriend. The X-Men share a wary truce withNick Fury and theUltimates, who have been both their best benefactors ("New Mutants" arc) and as adversaries (Ultimate War) in the past. TheUltimate Fantastic Four have met the X-Men inUltimate X4 and the teams are generally on positive terms.

• The X-Men live in theX-Mansion inWestchester, New York. Its location was a secret at first, but is now known to the world. It contains theDanger Room, avirtual reality dome in which the X-Men can fight against hard-light holographic enemies. It has been used several times for in-jokes andpopular culture references. Once, the junior X-Men fought theBrood, and for recreation, Nightcrawler simulated scenes similar toPirates of the Caribbean andThe Lord of the Rings.
• Genosha is anapartheid state in which mutants are discriminated against.Krakoa is an island not far off Genosha, whereMojo Adams'Hunt for Justice reality show is held.
• Muir Island is an island in the north ofScotland and the location ofDr. Moira MacTaggert's lab.

• In the video gamesX-Men Legends andX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, the characteristic tight black-and-golden costumes ofUltimate X-Men are the default outfits of the X-Men. The traditional costumes can be unlocked asthrowbacks after the player has unlocked them by completing acts within the game. Additionally, many of the other characters (such as the Brotherhood) have their Ultimate costumes as their default outfit. Characters in these games who had not yet appeared inUltimate X-Men at the time that the games were released either appear wearing their Earth-616 ('classic') costumes or appear in a new costume that is in the same black-and-gold style as theUltimate X-Men suits.
• In theX-Men: Evolution animated series, Wolverine wears hisUltimate X-Men look from season 3 onwards. In the final episodeAscension, future adult versions of the teenage X-Men can be seen. Their normally bright, colorful costumes have changed into the darkUltimate X-Men outfits.
• In the final arc ofWolverine and the X-Men, a fleet ofSentinels are sent toGenosha to attackMagneto and the mutants living there. However, like inThe Tomorrow People,^[13] Magneto disassembles all of the Sentinels, reprogramming them to attack humans. He then launches an attack upon New York.
• Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People appears in nine parts as an unlockable inMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. Each part is unlocked after completing a specific bonus level.
• Wolverine and Bolivar Trask appear as the bosses in the video gameUltimate Spider-Man.
• Ultimate costumes of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Magneto and Sabretooth appear in the video gameMarvel: Ultimate Alliance.

• List of Ultimate X-Men story arcs

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• Mark Millar onUltimate X-Men
• Brian Michael Bendis onUltimate X-Men,Newsarama
• Brian K. Vaughan onUltimate X-Men,Newsarama
• Robert Kirkman onUltimate X-Men,Newsarama

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